Ch.4

"Teresa, are you awake?"

Fox walked in the house after his encounter with Ethan.

He walked back to the bedroom.

She wasn't there.

"Teresa?"

He walked back into the kitchen.

"What's this?" he picked up the piece of paper on the table and read it.

Fox:

I'll be home later…I had some errands I had to run.

                                             Resa

"Errands?" he asked. "What could she be doing?"

He sighed, putting the note back on the table. He looked around.

"This place is a pigsty," he muttered to himself.

That's when an idea hit him.

"I know what I can do to make Resa smile. I'll clean the entire house and prepare a grand romantic dinner for her. That should help take her mind off things for awhile."

He began cleaning the house, going over every room, making sure it was spotless.

When he got to Little Ethan's room, he didn't touch anything.

"I'll leave that one the way it is," he said shutting the door. "Teresa wouldn't like it changed."

He then moved on to the bathroom. He picked up the dirty clothes and towels on the floor. He was just about finished, and reached for the trashcan to empty.

Something shiny caught his eye.

"What is this?" he questioned, picking it up.

"Oh my god," he whispered.

It was a razor.

Covered in fresh blood.

"What the hell…" his voice trailed off.

"Fox? Are you here?"

His head snapped up.

She was home.

"Yea I'm here…hold on, I'm coming."

He threw the razor back in the trash ad carried the bag out with him.

He walked into the living room.

"Hey you," he said. "Where have you been?"

"Oh I just went over to mama's house for a minute." She said. "Have you been cleaning this entire time?"

"Yea, I have," he answered quickly.

Teresa could tell something was going on.

"Fox? Are you ok?"

He looked back down at the trash in his hands.

"Yea, I'm fine," he lied, not taking his eyes off of the bag. "I'm just a little disappointed…I was going to make you a fancy dinner and surprise you."

"Well that was thoughtful of you," Teresa said trying to figure out what he was looking at.

"What's in the bag?"

Fox looked up at her.

"Nothing…just trash…I'm going to go through it away." He quickly walked past her and outside.

She stared at him the entire time.

"What was that about?" she asked herself.

She walked around the house looking at what Fox had done. He was so kind to her.

"You don't deserve someone like him," she said to herself as she walked around. "Someday, you will hurt him…you hurt everyone."

Fox walked up behind her.

"Who are you talking to?" he asked.

"Oh no one," she said. "Just myself."

~ A big no one ~ she thought.

"Oh," he said. "Well, if you are still up for that dinner, I would be more than happy to start cooking it for you."

"Hhmmm? Oh yea, sure, that sounds great."

"Well don't sound to excited," Fox joked.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I'm just really out of it today ya know? I still can't believe everything that has been going on."

Fox hugged her.

"You don't have to apologize for anything Resa…it's ok."

She rested her head on his shoulder.

"How bout I go make some of my famous Fox fettuccini alfredo for dinner...does that sound good?"

"Hmm, it sounds delicious."

"Alright," he kissed her. "You just rest for awhile…I'll get everything taken care of."

He smiled as he went into the kitchen, his mind preoccupied with what he had found.

"Get a hold of yourself Crane," he muttered to himself. "Teresa is too smart to be hurting herself. That razor was probably nothing."

He continued cooking, trying to think of something else, anything else.

But all he saw was the blood.

"I'll ask her about it at dinner," he decided.

"Then I will know the truth."